Simply put, all carbohydrates are sugar, but not all of them are dangerous with diabetes. Simple carbohydrates can not be used by people with this disease, but some complex ones – doctors strongly recommend that they be included in the diet. Why is that? We’ll figure out.
The value of complex and simple carbohydrates
As soon as food enters the human body, all simple carbohydrates contained in it are absorbed very quickly, and carbohydrates are transformed into sugar. After the body gets the right amount, it begins to store excess and turn them into fat. When saturated with carbohydrates continuous nutrition in humans develops obesity. It should be noted that most of the products consumed by people, this is simple carbohydrates.
Diabetes mellitus exacerbates this situation, because glucose is poorly absorbed by the body and its uncontrolled food intake fails. Complex carbohydrates are quite nutritious, perfectly satisfy hunger, poorly soluble in water, contain not a lot of sugar and are slowly absorbed. They are a complex chain of at least three sugar molecules, these include glycogen, pectins, starch and fiber.
Features of dietary fiber
Conducted in this industry research suggests that fiber in diabetes is the least dangerous of all existing complex carbohydrates. Many modern diets for weight loss use as base components such products that contain a lot of fiber.
Fibrous food helps to reduce blood glucose and therefore it is necessary to pay special attention to the formation of a healthy diet for diabetics. However, it should be borne in mind that fiber has one not very pleasant feature, it cannot be consumed too quickly, because it will be quite difficult for the body to process it. Dietary fiber can significantly overload the intestines, which is not desirable for diabetes.
What foods contain a lot of fiber
Scientists have found that its daily rate should be about 25 – 40 grams, but the average person consumes 2 times less than the required amount. You will not find fiber in eggs, milk, meat and poultry, because it is mainly found in foods of plant origin.
Sources of dietary fiber are the rind of fruits and vegetables, bran from whole grains, husks of beans and grains. Therefore, anyone who wants to make up for the insufficient amount of fiber consumed should be aware that whole grains, rice bran, buckwheat, legumes, nuts, seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables will help.
Cellulose in diabetes mellitus – what is the use
According to their type, all dietary fibers can be divided into two main groups:
- insoluble;
- soluble.
So in diabetes, the use of soluble fiber is especially useful, since it slows down the process of emptying the stomach, digesting sugar, turning it into glucose. It also reduces the concentration of cholesterol in the blood, and this is an excellent prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
It is important to get dietary fiber from different products, for example, vegetable fiber reduces the content of homocysteine and normalizes pressure, fruit – removes cholesterol and removes excess from the hips and waist. But the consumption of whole grains has a positive effect on blood pressure and body index. You can use fiber in the form of dietary supplements , but it will not give as good effect as natural products.
Fructose in diabetes: an enemy or a friend?
When choosing a sweetener, it is necessary to take into account the fact that not all sugar substitutes for diabetes are the same. Some of them are not suitable for cooking hot dishes and give bitterness, others are absorbed more slowly in the intestines, and others are poorly soluble in water. The topic of sugar substitutes has been raised more than once, but today we will pay special attention to one of them, fructose. People constantly ask questions: is it harmless in diabetes and what is its danger? Let’s try to figure it out.
Argued that this sweetener is not as good as many people think. Some diabetics mistakenly consider fructose as a natural sugar substitute, due to the fact that it is found in many sweet fruits, vegetables, and plants. But in fact, it is not so much in them, and they themselves are more useful because of the presence of fiber.
In the West since the 80s of the last century, fructose began to be actively bought by diabetics, but manufacturers greatly changed its chemical composition, leaving practically nothing natural.
The effect of fructose on the body
Getting inside in large quantities, it contributes to the accumulation of fatty tissues and enhances the process of lithogenesis. Also, this sugar substitute complicates the course of diabetes mellitus by the fact that it increases the concentration of triglycerides, and this affects the work of the cardiovascular system.
Fruit juices, sold in stores, are a concentrate that contains a lot of fructose. Studies in this area prove that frequent consumption of such juices affects the blood sugar level, which is highly undesirable for a diabetic. Very often in store juices there is more fructose than in sweet carbonated drinks. Therefore, before buying any juices, you should seriously think about their composition, which is not always useful.
Even in diabetes, fructose increases hunger and improves appetite, and a person always wants sweets. This can lead to obesity or exacerbate the course of the disease. There is also an opinion that this sweetener causes a certain dependence.
What to do
The main rule in this case is not to exceed the fructose consumption limit (30-40 grams). Depending on the weight, age, severity of the disease is determined by the exact safe daily portion. Remember that 20% of the accepted sweetener must be taken into account in the carbohydrate composition of food (30 grams of fructose – equal to 05, bread units).
If you want to avoid the threat associated with your dietary preferences, it is much better to get unprocessed and natural fructose. It is imperative to control your consumption of all kinds of sweets, especially those that contain glucose, sucrose (sugar), fructose, corn syrup. Before buying any product in the store – do not forget to get acquainted with its composition.
Also, avoid frequent consumption of purchased juices and carbonated drinks, better to prefer freshly squeezed fresh. If you find fructose on the package, think carefully about whether to buy this product.Diabetes mellitus is a condition where it is much more important to use low-calorie, proven and carbohydrate- free sweeteners of natural origin. Of course, if the choice is between sugar and fructose, then it is better to give preference to the latter, but this product is not recommended for use with obesity.